Re: What can I really see with a 60mm
- From: boo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: 15 Sep 2005 15:25:42 -0700
Hi M,
The 60mm refractor makes a decent beginning scope.
I'd also recommend a pair of binoculars too, especially
if you're still learning constellations. Something small
that you can handhold like 7x35, 8x40, 7x50 (not much over
7-8x for magnification). I also recommend low power views
using the scope - probably no higher than about a 15 mm
eyepiece.
Get some good star charts. <cloudynights.com> has some nice,
free, mag 7 (pdf format) star charts you can download. They'll
have the constellations and the Messier and well as brighter
NGC objects.
Most important part is good dark skies. You probably
want to at least be able to see all the stars in the handle
of the little dipper. Milky way should be visible too, even
if faintly. I can't emphasize enough the importance of a
dark sky. Light pollution has now gotten so bad most of us
have to drive miles to find a reasonably dark sky.
It's worth it though, as most suburban light polluted skies
look dead, and nothing will kill your interest in this hobby
quicker than trying to observe from a light polluted site, IMO.
You also need to be realistic about what you're going to
see through such a scope. Yeah you can see most of the messier
objects, but outside of open clusters most of them are literally
going to appear as faint fuzzy blotches. For me half the
fun is finding on my own (no GOTO goo) and trying to tease
as much detail as I can out of them visually. Still, anything
you see visually using your scope will look nothing like
the pictures you see.
If you learn most of the constellations this way, decide
you like the hobby, and end up getting a bigger scope (8" or more)
you'll have the advantage of knowing the sky when you get it
and you'll really appreciate how much more you can see with
the larger scope. And you'll also notice the hassels the come
with owning a larger scope ;-).
Try going to star party (or a friend) to check out the view(s)
through a larger telescope. Consider yourself warned that you
might come down with a bad case of aperture fever and find
it hard to go back to using your scope.
-Eric B
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